Promises are Made to be Broken
by deefer
Summary: 7TH year at Hogwarts, post war. Hermione & Draco head boy/girl. Draco wants to redeem himself & start out fresh w/his peers, including hermione. Their friendship gradually turn into something more, and Hermione isn't sure she's ready to let go of Ron
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** All characters and anything familiar from the HP series obviously belong to J.K. Rowling. Only the plot is mine.

**Author's note:** This is my first fanfic… I'm not sure if the story flows the way I want it to but please give constructive criticism if needed. Thank you!

***I have a beta now that is going over my chapters and helping me improve any mistakes I've made throughout the story. I am going to post the same chapters but with the revisions, so please bare with me since this might take awhile. I'm writing new chapters during this time but it might take some time before they're up. Thanks for reading & reviewing!

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><p>After boarding the Hogwarts Express to her long-awaited seventh and final year at Hogwarts, the eighteen-year old Hermione Granger found an empty compartment at the end of the train and settled herself inside. Punctual as always, she was the first of her friends to board the train, and she excitedly awaited their arrival. After ten minutes of reading her favorite book, <em>Hogwarts, A History<em>, Hermione looked up as she heard the compartment door sliding open.

"Finally I've found you Hermione. How come you aren't in the Prefect's compartment bossing them around?" asked Ginny Weasley with a knowing smile.

"Oh, Ginny. I knew you guys would be late so I found an empty compartment for us, for when I'm done with the Prefects meeting...Where are Neville and Luna?" she asked after noticing that no one was behind Ginny.

Ginny walked inside the compartment and put her trunk on the rack above the seats, with help from Hermione, and they sat down across from each other.

"They're coming, Neville is still outside saying good-bye to his grandmother, and Luna is outside as well, saying good-bye to her father. He's become a little over-protective of her since the war, and he wants to spend as much time with her as possible before she leaves," answered Ginny.

Hermione understood, as she had been there when Xenophilius Lovegood tried to trade her, along with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, in exchange for his daughter when the Death Eaters held her hostage the previous year.

Harry and Ron had opted not to finish their magical education at Hogwarts and had gone to join the Auror training program at the Ministry of Magic, hoping to change the Ministry for the better with new Minister, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Hermione, of course, had stayed behind to take her N.E.W.T.s and finish her education, although she didn't need to because Kingsley guaranteed her a position at the Ministry whenever she wanted.

Another reason why Hermione chose not to go straight to the Ministry was because she didn't like her new found status as a _celebrity_ as a result of her efforts during the Second Wizarding War. She felt that staying at Hogwarts would give her one more year to herself, and her studies, before setting out and trying to better the wizarding world. Hermione decided that after Hogwarts, she would study how Muggle-born witches and wizards came to have wizarding blood and power. After witnessing what the Muggle-borns went through the previous year under Voldemort's tyranny, Hermione vowed to prove to the world that Muggle-borns were just as capable as Purebloods and that 'stealing' magical power was just ridiculous.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Hermione looked up to see Neville and Luna entering the compartment. The train began moving toward Hogwarts, and Hermione realized it was time to go to the Prefects' compartment.

"Hello Neville, Luna. Sorry, I have to go to the Prefects' meeting, but I'll be back when it's over," said Hermione as she got up to leave the compartment.

"No worries, Hermione. Congrats on being Head Girl, although it wasn't much of a surprise. Everyone knew it would be you," said Neville, smiling proudly at Hermione. The war had greatly transformed Neville from a shy and nervous boy to a brave and confident man. During the war, Neville had definitely proven himself to be a Gryffindor through and through by reinstating Dumbledore's Army, with help from Ginny and Luna.

Hermione left the others and walked over to the Prefects' compartment to join the Prefects from the other Houses.

Nervously, Hermione took a deep breath and steadied herself before sliding open the door and walking in. She greeted everyone while they were settling down inside the compartment. Professor McGonagall had sent her Head Girl instructions and duties along with her Head Girl badge and the expected list of textbooks for the new school term. She hadn't mentioned who the new Head Boy would be, but Hermione had assumed it would be Terry Boot from Ravenclaw, or even perhaps Draco Malfoy because he received the second best O.W.L.s during their fifth year. That is, if he even came back to Hogwarts for their seventh year. Hermione had doubted he'd be back but she was surprised to see him sitting in the compartment with the others.

Malfoy looked up to see Hermione walk in and knew at once that she was the new Head Girl. Rolling his eyes, he braced himself for what would be a long speech, as she was known for rambling on and on when she got nervous.

Hermione saw his look of annoyance and brushed it off, promising herself that she wouldn't let Malfoy get to her this year. She planned to avoid any contact with him, especially after what happened to her at his Manor during the war.

"Hello, everyone. I will be the new Head Girl for this year, and I think we can all work together to bring our Houses together and make our school stronger than ever. Especially after what happened during the war, our efforts at rebuilding the school's confidence and ensuring safety and support for each and every student, regardless of blood status, should be stronger than ever. The new Head Boy and I will work together to make this happen, with your help. When we get to school, we will plan monthly meetings to discuss events, hall patrols, and any other things during the year," Hermione finished her speech and waited for the Head Boy to announce himself so she could go back to her friends.

There was an awkward silence after Hermione's speech, and finally, Draco Malfoy stood up and cleared his throat.

"I think Granger said everything that had to be said. I'm this year's Head Boy, and the monthly meetings are a good idea to maintain control at Hogwarts. I think that's it. Wouldn't you agree, Granger?" Malfoy asked.

"Er, yeah. I guess that's it. See you all at school," said Hermione. She was surprised at Malfoy's attitude. Several thoughts were running through her mind. _What, no insults? Granger? What happened to Mudblood?_

Hermione went back to the compartment she shared with Ginny, Neville, and Luna. She told them about the meeting and how Malfoy had been almost civil to her.

"Yeah, I heard Malfoy's trying to redeem himself now or something. I guess the war really knocked some sense into him, especially since Harry vouched for him and his mother during the trials and he finally had some sense knocked into him," said Ginny.

"Maybe he finally got rid of the Aquavirius Maggots in his brains and doing so brought out the good side in him," speculated Luna.

Chuckling, Neville said, "Yeah Luna, that could be it. Anyways, I ran into Malfoy one day in Diagon Alley, about a week ago, and he asked to speak to me for bit."

_FLASHBACK:_

_Neville and his grandmother were doing some last minute shopping in Diagon Alley before the term started._

_Neville was looking for the books he needed while his grandmother went towards the Do it Yourself books section. Neville saw someone in the corner of his eye, looking at the Defense against Dark Arts books. He turned to see Draco Malfoy and quickly looked away._

_After several minutes, he walked towards Neville._

"_Hello, Longbottom. I know I'm the last person you want to speak with, but do you think we could talk for a moment?" asked Malfoy._

_Neville's eyes widened for about a fraction of a second, but he braced himself and waited, curious to hear what Malfoy wanted to say. He agreed,_ _and Malfoy began speaking._

"_Er, I know we haven't been on good terms and I, er, just wanted to apologize for everything I've done and said to you in the past. I hope you'll believe me when I say I'm sorry." Malfoy awkwardly finished speaking and waited for Neville to respond._

"_Um, thanks for that, Malfoy. I'll be honest and say that wasn't expected, but I guess we can start over and put the past behind us…?" he said as a question. He wasn't sure if Malfoy wanted to be friends or not but figured it was the best thing to say._

"_Right. Well, I guess I'll see you at Hogwarts, Longbottom." Malfoy nodded to him and abruptly walked away._

"Wow, Malfoy actually apologized? Huh, I guess miracles can happen," joked Ginny.

They spent the rest of the train ride talking about the upcoming year. It wasn't long before the train finally arrived at Hogwarts. Hermione never got over the wondrous sight of Hogwarts, looming over them, as they got closer. _This will always be my home_, she thought.

After the Welcoming Feast, Professor McGonagall walked over to Hermione and asked her to follow her to her new living quarters. Hermione followed her up a tower that she'd never been to, and they stopped at a new portrait. The portrait had a scene similar to the fountain at the Ministry at Magic, only the Witch, Wizard, House elf, and Centaur were standing equal to each other, unlike what the statues depicted.

"This will be your new living quarters, Miss Granger. You will have your own dormitory of course, as will Mr. Malfoy. He is with the Head of Slytherin House right now, who is telling him about his new living quarters. You both will share a common room and are allowed to invite guests over as long as you both follow the school rules. Your guests must be back in their own dormitories by curfew. The password to enter is 'Beedle'. Have a great term, Miss Granger. Smiling fondly at Hermione, Minerva McGonagall turned around and walked down the stairs.

Hermione said the password, and the portrait swung open in a manner reminiscent to the Gryffindor portrait hole. She walked into the common room.

The common room looked as warm and cozy as the Gryffindor common room. There were a few plush chairs around the center of the room, with three tables around them. There was a couch in front of the burning fireplace and a small coffee table between them. Hermione looked around and saw two doors on either side of the common room. One was labeled 'Head Girl' while the other read 'Head Boy'.

The portrait suddenly opened, and Hermione turned to see Draco Malfoy climbing through the portrait hole. He patted down invisible wrinkles on his clothes and looked up to see Hermione staring at him.

"Hey, Granger. I just wanted to start this year off with a clean slate, and I hope you can accept this as a truce of some sorts…" Malfoy trailed off uncomfortably.

Hermione felt the awkwardness of the situation and agreed to his truce. Unable to fight the urge, she said, "Excuse me for being so… blunt, but why the sudden urge to become friends? Your conscience finally catches up to you?"

"I guess you could say that," he replied. Malfoy nodded to her and then walked towards his dormitory.

_Weird_, thought Hermione. She shrugged and went to her dormitory, got into her new four-poster bed, and fell asleep.

_Hermione found herself falling into a dark hole. She screamed and screamed for someone to help her and saw the light from the surface of the hole becoming smaller. She looked down and saw Malfoy at the bottom, reaching for her hand. Hermione grabbed his hand without thinking and grabbed on to a rope that suddenly appeared in front of her. She saw her parents at the surface,__encouraging her to climb up. Hermione pulled Malfoy up and began climbing up the rope._

_Malfoy slackened his grip on her and said, "I don't deserve your help. All I do is drag people down with me. Go on, Granger_._"_

_Hermione didn't wait to respond; she just tightened her grip on his hand and felt herself slipping away-_

Beep! Beep! Beep! Hermione's eyes fluttered open, and she reached over to silence her beeping wand. _I dreamed of Malfoy…huh that's a first_, she thought. At least it was better than dreaming of Bellatrix torturing her again and again, as she had been almost every week since the war. Shaking herself from her sleepy mood, Hermione got up to start her day. She washed, dressed, and left her room to go into the common room.

The common room was empty, which probably meant Malfoy had already gone down to the Great Hall. Hermione left the common room and made her way towards the Great Hall for breakfast. She reached the Gryffindor Table and sat between Neville and Ginny.

"How was Malfoy? I know he's reformed and all, but if he hurts you-" began Ginny, but Hermione cut her off.

"Don't worry, Gin. He proposed a truce, and I agreed. That's all. I wonder what made him get over his childish ways."

"Maybe he wants to reform the Malfoy name and all since his dear old daddy will be in Azkaban for the next five years," guessed Ginny.

After the war, the Ministry's Aurors had rounded up the surviving Death Eaters and put them on trial. Harry had testified for Narcissa Malfoy because she'd saved his life. When Lucius was put on trial, Harry mentioned that Lucius had had no part in the final battle, and that he had witnessed Lucius and his wife searching for their son, instead of joining Voldemort and his followers. Since Harry Potter was seen as

the savior of the wizarding world, the Wizengamot took his testimony seriously, letting Narcissa Malfoy go free and reducing her husband's sentence to five years in Azkaban. Many people were outraged that he hadn't gotten a longer sentence since he had willingly joined the Death Eaters and led them to torment the Muggles during the Quidditch World Cup, but Harry had stuck to his testimony and supported his sentence.

Hermione looked over to the Slytherin table and saw Malfoy sitting at the far corner of the table with Goyle sitting nearby. They spoke to each other every once in a while, but Malfoy seemed to be in his own world, lost in thought.

Hermione received her schedule and walked towards her first class, Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was a double period with the Slytherins, since she saw them waiting outside the classroom with the seventh year Gryffindors. The students walked into the classroom and sat down, awaiting their new teacher. Many people were whispering amongst themselves about whether or not their new teacher would be here longer than a year this time. Hermione also wondered if the jinx was lifted, now that Voldemort was gone.

The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher walked into the classroom and put his briefcase on the desk at the front of the room. He was a tall man with curly, dark brown hair and looked a bit intimidating as he surveyed the classroom. He cleared his throat and introduced himself to the class.

"Good morning, everyone. As you all know from Headmistress McGonagall's introduction last night, I am Professor Grant, and I will be your teacher this year. Hopefully this will not be my only year at Hogwarts," he chuckled at his own joke.

"As I understand it, you have been taught by a new teacher every year you've studied at Hogwarts, which means your background in this subject might be inconsistent. I hope to help you discover and enhance your skills and talents so that you can defend yourself, should the need arise. Hopefully our futures in the wizarding world will be safe from such horrendous crimes, as the Dark side was defeated, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

"I'd like you all to start off in pairs and begin by attempting to disarm your partner. Then, I want you all to practice deflecting threatening jinxes and spells to test your strength and speed," Professor Grant instructed. He walked around the room while the class shouted jinxes at each other and attempted to block them.

Hermione was reminded of Harry's D.A. meetings, where he would have everyone pair off and work on what they were learning in class. Hermione partnered off with Neville, who was getting really good at defending himself. He was practically blocking her spells before she finished the incantations. Hermione beamed and praised him for his progress.

Meanwhile, Malfoy was on the other side of the classroom, partnered up with Goyle. Goyle and Malfoy were only participating half-heartedly in the exercise. They seemed to be arguing over something. Apparently Hermione wasn't the only one to notice this, as she saw Professor Grant walking over to them and quietly speaking to them. Hermione wondered what was said since Malfoy reluctantly agreed to whatever the teacher asked him.

"Okay everyone, that was great for today. You all seem to trust your instincts, which is very helpful in situations where you need to defend yourselves. Staying sharp and keeping an eye on your surroundings will help you stay on your toes, should you need to protect yourself," said Professor Grant. Just then the bell rang, dismissing the class. "No homework for today. Just practice, practice, practice!"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All characters and anything familiar from the HP series obviously belong to J.K. Rowling. Only the plot is mine.

Author's Note: Thank you to MG3 for reviewing my story… I might be updating slowly because I still have a few ideas on how this story is going to go. It is a DraMione fic but it may take awhile for them to be together. Please R&R, I really want to know what you guys think and please please please give constructive criticsm. I won't know what to fix if I don't get any feedback. Thanks again for reading

The rest of the week was pretty much uneventful. Hermione noticed that many of the Slytherins, especially the few that came back for their seventh year, kept to themselves. They weren't taunting the other Houses as much as they used to. Most of the time, the Slytherins would huddle in groups during break and meal times and whisper quietly to one another. Hermione often wondered what they were up to but they seemed harmless now that their leader was defeated.

Draco Malfoy, on the other hand, was almost always seen by himself these days. He was usually at the library studying. He was always up and out of the common room before Hermione woke up, it was almost like he was avoiding her. _Maybe that's it, he's probably avoiding me because of what happened at his Manor last year_, Hermione realized to herself. She walked out to the common room and once again, Draco already left.

At breakfast, Hermione sat with Ginny and Neville again. The morning post owls suddenly came down and three owls perched themselves on the table, in front of Hermione. The first was the _Daily Prophet_ with the news for the day. The next two were from Harry and Ron. This year wasn't the same without those two, she always had them with her but this year they were out working as Aurors and were almost always busy. This was the first time they wrote to her since the term started.

After paying the owl that carried the newspaper, Hermione opened Harry's letter first, saving Ron's for last. She wasn't sure where she stood with Ron after the kiss they shared in the Room of Requirement. During the summer, Hermione went to Australia by herself to restore her parents' memory. She wanted to go alone because she wasn't sure how her parents would react to finding out they lost their identities for a whole year, living a completely different life. By the time she got back to Great Britain, Harry and Ron were preparing for their Auror training and they didn't really have much time to talk about where their relationship was going.

Smiling at Harry's untidy scrawl, she read:

_Hello Hermione! _

_Hope all is well at Hogwarts. It's weird not having you around, getting us out of trouble and saving our arses half the time. Well more like every time. Anyway, as you know, we started training the week before you left. Sorry for not being able to see you off. The senior Aurors are a bit intimidated by Ron and I after everything that happened last year. It's odd, having older wizards asking me for advice. Me! I barely had any idea what I was doing last year. I told them that if it weren't for you and Ron, I wouldn't have been able to get through the Horcrux hunt, let alone fight Voldemort. Speaking of Ron, he really wants to see you. We're thinking of coming down to visit you and the others on your first Hogsmeade trip. Let us know when that is. Miss you Hermione._

_Love, Harry _

Shaking her head, with a smile on her face, Hermione folded Harry's letter and turned to open Ron's.

_Hey Hermione,_

_Only you would choose to return to Hogwarts when you're Hermione Granger, brightest witch of our age with a job waiting for you at the Ministry, or rather, anywhere you choose. I admire the fact that you want to finish your studies but blimey, I really miss having you with us. It's not the same. How's Hogwarts? Hopefully its better now that Voldemort's gone and most of the Death Eaters are in Azkaban. Let us know if Malfoy or any of the other Slytherin gits give you any trouble. I heard he's back as well and I wonder what the ferret is up to these days. Anyway, Harry and me were hoping to see you on your first Hogsmeade trip. Hopefully it's around your birthday since it's coming up in a few weeks. Let us know!_

_Love always,_

_Ron_

Reading their letters brought a warm feeling throughout her body. Hermione severely missed her two best friends. It wasn't the same going to Hogwarts without them. They've been together since they were eleven. Although she missed them terribly, Hermione was happy for them. They were doing something they loved, and Ron would finally be able to lead a life of his own and not worry about spending too much as he would be making his own money. She knew how bad Ron felt that his family never had enough money to support each and every Weasley.

"Oh you've heard from Ron. So tell me Hermione, when will you and Ron finally become a couple," asked Ginny, seeing Ron and Harry's letters folded out in front of Hermione.

Blushing, Hermione responded, "I don't know Gin. We barely saw each other over the summer. But he did say he would come by during our first Hogsmeade trip. We'll figure things out then, I hope." Hermione wasn't comfortable sharing details from her private life, not that she didn't trust Ginny, but because she wasn't used to it. Ginny was her only best girl friend and it was nice to talk to someone about these things. Ginny had a little more experience with dating and Hermione figured she could take some advice from her, even if Ginny was Ron's sister.

"It wouldn't be too weird for you since Ron is your brother," Hermione asked Ginny.

"Not really, I mean it was sort of a given once you became friends with Harry and Ron, and besides, you're my best girl friend and Ron is my brother. You'll officially be my sister once you two get married," said Ginny with a twinkle in her eye. She hesitated, as if she was debating whether or not to say something. Then she began quietly, "Hermione, this is going be really awkward but I have to ask. Did you…Did you and Harry ever-"

Realizing what Ginny was asking, Hermione started laughing. "No Gin! Honestly, Harry is like a brother to me. He feels the same way because during the time we were searching for the Horcruxes, he would always strive to find any piece of information about you. He kept an ear out to hear if you're safe. I remember when we over heard Dean Thomas and Ted Tonks talking to the goblin and the other guy about how you and the others tried breaking into Snape's office, Harry paled when he heard you were punished. I swear Gin, he was so white," Hermione chuckled.

Ginny looked relieved. "I know Hermione but I guess I was just worrying over nothing. I know you've fancied Ron for a while but I just had to know," she said.

"Don't worry Gin, I understand," said Hermione as the first bell rang announcing the end of breakfast. Hermione and Ginny walked towards their Defense against the Dark Arts class together.

Defense against the Dark Arts with Professor Grant was very refreshing compared to the last Defense classes she had over the last four years. They were actually learning something compared to the way Umbridge and Lockhart taught the class. Although, Lupin and Moody were good teachers however, an actual Death Eater impersonated Professor Moody so it didn't really count.

Everyone else seemed to enjoy Professor Grant's class as well. The girls especially enjoyed his classes; Parvati was constantly talking about how good-looking he was. Hermione found him quite attractive as well, but he was still their teacher.

Ever since Lavender's devastating death during the Battle of Hogwarts, Parvati usually kept to herself or would sometimes join Hermione and Ginny when they were together. Lavender was Parvati's best friend and the loss took its toll on her. She wasn't as bubbly as she used to be. Hermione decided she would try to be closer to the girl so Parvati would have someone to talk to. She had a lot of friends but didn't seem to be very close to them. Hermione didn't like to see people suffering and promised herself she'd do something to help.

Professor Grant started the class by lecturing about dementors and how to fight them off. The class had their quills and parchments out and was studiously taking notes. It was unlike their first lesson, but it was interesting nonetheless.

"I am aware that you all know how a dementor looks like because of Professor Lupin's boggart and also since dementors were stationed around the school during your third year, was it," asked Professor Grant.

"Yes, Professor. Dementors are black and creepy things," asked Parvati.

Professor smiled at Parvati and continued, "Yes Ms. Patel, they are rather creepy. Now, would anyone be able to tell me how to stop a dementor from giving the Kiss?"

Unusually, more than half the class raised their hand. Ever since Harry's D.A. meetings, many of the upper class students were able to participate in Defense against the Dark Arts classes. After learning several spells, jinxes, and curses from Harry, Professor Grant's lessons were becoming very animated.

Professor Grant was a little surprised. "Okay, why don't you tell us Mr. Longbottom?"

"Er, it's the Patronus charm. You think of happy thoughts to counter the miserable effect from the dementors," answered Neville.

"Well answered, Mr. Longbottom. I believe that's ten points to Gryffindor," said Professor Grant, smiling at Neville.

Neville blushed and looked proud of himself. Hermione smiled at him, then listened to Professor Grant continue his lecture. Before the bell rang, he assigned them an essay on how to defeat dementors and the effects of a dementor's presence to a wizard and a Muggle.

Hermione left the class and walked towards her next class, Potions, with Neville, Ginny, and Parvati. Professor Slughorn remained at Hogwarts to teach Potions and stay on as Head of Slytherin House. Once they entered the class, they found a table and sat next to each other waiting for Professor Slughorn to start the lesson. Professor Slughorn began the lesson after everyone arrived.

"Hello everyone. Today we will be brewing a Fire Protection Potion, also known as the Purple Fire Potion. It's pretty much self-explanatory but to make it a little bit interesting today, the best brewed protection potion will receive a surprise at the end of the lesson," announced Professor Slughorn. "Now get to work."

Everyone began their potions eagerly. Ever since the lucky potion during their sixth year, Slughorn hasn't made any of their lessons into a contest until now. Hermione didn't usually like talking during lessons but since Parvati was sitting next to her, she decided to use the time to be a little friendly.

"So Parvati, I know we don't get to talk much between classes and my Head Girl duties but how have you been? How were your holidays" she asked cautiously.

Parvati looked at Hermione and answered, "thanks Hermione, I wouldn't call it a holiday exactly. I'm sure yours wasn't very peachy either considering what we went through. I helped Mr. and Mrs. Brown with the funeral, as you know. It's just hard, knowing she won't be here anymore. I mean, Lavender was my best friend. I- I still can't believe she's gone and then it hits me unexpectedly sometimes." Her eyes became watery but her voice remained strong.

"I'm sorry Parvati, if you ever want to talk or need someone, you know where to find me. This war was hard for all of us and it hurts to remember everyone we've lost but like I said, I'm here if you ever need a friend," said Hermione. She felt a little awkward about the conversation but felt a lot better after Parvati was able to open up to her. _Poor girl, I can't imagine losing Harry or Ron_, she thought.

"Thanks Hermione, I really appreciate it," said Parvati. She smiled at Hermione gratefully. Hermione smiled, and then looked up at the board to see Slughorn's instructions on brewing the potion. She noticed Draco staring at her through the corner of her eye, and when she turned to look back at him, he put his head back down, focusing on his potion. _Odd,_ thought Hermione, but shrugged it off.

Professor Slughorn walked around the class, checking everyone's potions. A lot of the potions were either yellow or pale green, which meant they were halfway done. Hermione's potion was purple, and when Professor Slughorn came by to check hers, his face broke out in a smile.

"Ah, but of course, Ms. Granger, you win our little contest for today!" Professor looked pleased with himself as he presented an envelope to Hermione. After she left the class, Hermione opened the envelope and found two tickets to a Holyhead Harpies Quidditch match. _I'll give these to Ginny_, thought Hermione. Quidditch wasn't really her thing.

The rest of the day continued normally then after the bell rang signaling the end of lessons for the day, Hermione walked towards the empty classroom they chose to hold the prefect meetings. When she arrived, she noticed Draco was already there.

"Hello Malfoy," greeted Hermione. She figured since the truce, they could be a little friendly towards each other at least.

"Granger," Malfoy greeted her back with a nod. He stared off towards the wall, indifferently.

Before she could say anything else, the prefects started to arrive. After everyone was seated, Hermione and Draco started the meeting. They agreed to weekly patrols with both the Heads doing the first and last patrols of every month and the prefects arranged their patrolling schedules for the remaining weeks. They also decided on a Hogsmeade day, two weeks from then, on Saturday, a day before Hermione's birthday. Hermione and Draco adjourned the meeting and went back towards their common room.

"How are you Malfoy, I know everything that happened over the summer can't have been very easy for you " said Hermione cautiously.

"I'm fine," replied Draco shortly.

"Look, I was just trying to-" began Hermione.

"Trying to what, huh, Granger? Pretend we're old pals? Just because Potty and Weasel aren't here doesn't mean you can make everyone into your new best friend," snapped Draco harshly.

Taken aback, Hermione caught up to him and furiously replied, "Excuse me, as I remember correctly, YOU were the one who called for a truce. If you think your little attitude problem and avoiding me is going to help us 'start off on a clean slate' and-" she stopped as she noticed Draco continued walking towards the common room without bothering to listen to what she was saying. "Listen to me Malfoy!" Hermione shouted.

Draco stopped walking, and turned to look at her. He exhaled slowly and said, "Look Granger, I'm sorry for how I acted, but please, just stop trying to psycho analyze me. You won't even begin to understand me, Goyle doesn't understand me, and Professor Grant certainly won't understand what I went through. I'm too fucked up to be anyone's friend," He turned around and walked away.

Hermione was surprised at what he said. So that's what he was arguing about with Goyle during their first day. She also realized that Professor Grant probably tried talking to him after their first lesson. Hermione felt pity towards Draco, it must be hard to be scrutinized everywhere you go because of his former status as a Death Eater. His father's imprisonment can't have been easy on him either.

Hermione began slowly walking towards the Heads' common room and once again, Draco was out of sight. At least she now knew why.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All characters and anything familiar from the HP series obviously belong to J.K. Rowling. Only the plot is mine.

Author's note: I know I keep nagging, but please R&R. I would greatly appreciate reviews from my readers. Thank you to those who set my story in their favorites/alerts. Enjoy!

Hermione wrote to both Harry and Ron about the upcoming Hogsmeade trip that was less than a week away. After sending off the owl, she felt a strong wave of the butterflies. Hermione was excited to see her two best friends after almost a month but on the other hand, she was nervous about talking to Ron about their 'relationship' or whatever it was.

It has been three weeks since term started. The Quidditch teams were studiously training for the Quidditch season that will begin in November. Since the first match of the season will be Gryffindor versus Slytherin, Ginny being captain of the Gryffindor team, was busy training until late most nights. This left Hermione a copious amount of time to study in the library. She had her N.E.W.T.s study schedule all planned out and spent every chance she had in the library to study.

It was almost nine o'clock in the evening, which meant Hermione had an hour to get to her common room before curfew. It was rather quiet in the library that evening, with not that many people inside. She looked up to see Draco Malfoy walking in and sitting down at one of the tables, pulling his books out of his bag. Hermione didn't bother saying hello to him this time. They haven't spoken since the night after their first prefect meeting. She barely saw him since he was almost never at the common room when she was and during the first night of patrol, he suggested they patrol opposite sides of the castle. Hermione couldn't understand why it bothered her that he was avoiding her.

Hermione finished her homework and a bit of studying. She decided to begin her little project about the truth of Muggle-born wizards. Hermione wanted to test a theory she had in her mind ever since she found out what a Squib was and their options. She learned through her research that most Squibs chose to live in the Muggle world since they did not belong in the wizarding world. Hermione toyed with the idea that maybe, a Muggle-born was a descendant of a Squib and maybe the magic resurfaced after many generations. It was a far-fetched idea but it was better than most explanations others had to offer. Magical power was definitely not stolen; it was impossible to steal someone's magic. If it were possible, Muggles would all have magical power.

Hermione stood up and walked over to Madam Pince's desk to find books on the matter. "Excuse me, Madam Pince, but do you have any books on Squib genealogy? Preferably in Great Britain," she clarified. Hermione wanted to start out by researching her own ancestry to find out where her power came from. She saw Draco look up when he heard her choice of reading. She raised an eyebrow at him, as if daring him to ask what she was up to. Hermione wasn't sure if he still believed in the whole Pureblood supremacy, but he seemed to be less opinionated about it.

"Yes, but unfortunately, we only have two books on that subject," said Madam Pince, while summoning the books to her desk. The books zoomed to her and she handed them to Hermione, who thanked her and walked back to her study table.

Hermione sat back down and opened the first book, _How Squibs Came to be Squibs_. Hermione skimmed through the book until she found an interesting paragraph, which she took notes on. It read:

_Squibs are basically, Wizard-born Muggles. They are born to Pureblood wizards but lack any magical powers. The producing of Squibs was rare until it became a habit of Pureblood families to interbreed within their own families. In recent studies, it is shown that the percentage of Squib births rose to 15% since the 1450s due to the common inter-family Pureblood marriages. Ironically, the Pureblood supremacy belief that Muggle-borns are inferior to them is laughable. If Purebloods were encouraged to mix among Muggle-borns and half bloods, there would probably be fewer Squibs._

This proved to Hermione that the Pureblood supremacy idea was complete rubbish. Why the Purebloods never acknowledged this was simply astonishing. They chose to believe what they wanted without getting the facts.

"Find anything interesting," came from a voice behind her. Hermione started, then turned around to see Draco standing behind her with an amused look on his face.

"What happened, Malfoy? I thought you didn't want to make friends," asked Hermione, with an edge to her voice. She was getting annoyed at his bipolar mood swings. One day he wanted to be friends, the next he went snapping at her when she tried to be friendly.

"I changed my mind. So tell me, Granger, did Weasley turn out to be a Squib? Or are you trying to find a cure for Squibs," asked Draco sarcastically.

"Neither," answered Hermione shortly. She didn't know what he was up to but figured anything coming from Malfoy couldn't be good.

"Are you sure? Because it wouldn't be too much of a surprise if the Weasel turned out to be a dunce at magic," he said.

Too tired to deal with Malfoy's taunting, Hermione began packing her things to go to the common room for some peace and quiet. "Ron is an exceptional wizard, Malfoy, it's a pity the same can't be said about you," she retorted.

To her surprise, Malfoy chuckled instead of scowling like he usually did. "Ouch. Calm down, Granger, it's fun riling you up sometimes," he said. He stopped smiling and a look of seriousness came over her face. "Honestly, I just wanted to make amends. I know I said this before, but I really do want to start over with you. With everyone really, but I don't want you to think ill of me anymore."

"Why the sudden change of heart," Hermione asked, taken aback.

"To be honest, I don't really know. I guess it's since the war ended, I realized all this Pureblood nonsense is exactly that. It's bullshit. You have no magical blood in you yet you've managed to beat me in almost every class-"

"Almost?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow. Last time she checked, Malfoy was still second best to her academically.

"Remember Flying? Just because we only took it during First year doesn't mean it never happened," he teased.

"I'm sorry, but this is really weirding me out," said Hermione as she walked out of the library. Draco grabbed his bag and followed her out.

"I know, I won't pretend this isn't weird for me either but, who cares? It's just a friendship, it's not like I'm asking for your hand in marriage or anything," said Draco, rolling his eyes. They walked towards their common room together, as the lights around the castle were dimming signaling that it was almost curfew.

"Beedle," said Hermione, as they reached the portrait hole to their dormitories. They climbed through the portrait hole and Hermione walked towards her room. "Fine, we could be friends. Just, no more jokes about Ron, or Harry."

"I'll try," said Draco, smirking. He turned around and walked towards his bedroom.

Once inside his room, Draco put his bag down and changed to his nightclothes. He got into bed and folded his arms behind his head. Draco closed his eyes, wondering why it was Hermione's face he was thinking of before he drifted off to sleep.

"_Draco," hissed a voice. "Come here Draco. I have a special task for you, no one else but you." Draco walked slowly towards the man who stood with his back facing him. He heard someone cackling softly to his right. Draco looked and saw his aunt, Bellatrix, smiling proudly at him._

_Nervously, Draco walked towards Lord Voldemort while looking down at the floor. Voldemort turned around with his red eyes flashing dangerously and laughed softly._

"_Y-yes, my lord," Draco stuttered nervously as he approached Lord Voldemort._

"_You are to complete this task by the end of the year. This is a very important task, as it will rid me of the one person standing in my way to power. If you fail to kill this man, then… how do the Muggles say it? Oh yes, long live the Malfoy family." Voldemort threatened him._

"_Who…who is to be killed?" Draco felt as if his tongue suddenly turned to sawdust. He had an idea of who it might be and the thought of it made his stomach churn._

"_Albus Dumbledore."_

Draco awoke with a start. He tossed the covers and felt clammy under his nightshirt. He dreamed of Lord Voldemort again. He relived that terrifying moment before sixth year when Voldemort assigned him the task of murdering Dumbledore as penance for Lucius's failure in retrieving the prophecy.

Draco left his room and walked toward the common room to sit in front of the roaring fire. He didn't expect Hermione to be there already, nursing a mug of hot chocolate as she stared off into the fire. Draco looked at the clock on the mantle; it was well past three o'clock in the morning.

"What are you doing up, Granger," asked Draco as he reached her.

Startled for the second time that day, Hermione looked up to see Draco coming to join her on the sofa in front of the fireplace.

"Nothing, just had an…interesting dream," she responded vaguely. Hermione wasn't sure if she was ready to trust Draco with anything just yet.

"Oh yeah? Same here," he told her. Draco wasn't sure why but he wanted to tell Hermione what he saw in his dreams. "Tell me, have you ever relived a memory as a dream before?"

"Yes, actually my dream was a memory rather than a dream. Did you use Legillemency to see inside my head or did you have one of those as well?" Hermione knew he couldn't have been using Legillemency without her realizing it but she wanted to lessen the tension in the room. She was still tense after what she saw in her dreams and she could tell Draco felt the same way. Hermione revisited the Manor in her dreams again. For some reason, it felt almost real this time. Every other time she saw Bellatrix torturing her, it was as if she was watching herself from a bird's eye view. This time, however, she could almost feel the Cruciatious Curse attacking her body.

Draco looked incredulously at her. "What? You really think I would do that? Use Legillemency to invade your mind-"

"Calm down Malfoy, it's fun riling you up sometimes," she mocked his words from earlier.

"Very funny. But seriously, I don't usually get affected from these, these memory-dreams. For some reason though, this time I felt like I was right there in front of him again…" he trailed off uncomfortably. He wasn't sure if he liked sharing these details with Hermione. Draco is used to keeping things like that to himself. Occasionally, he'd go to his father or mother if something was bothering him but since his father is in Azkaban and his mother far away in the outskirts of Wiltshire at the Manor, he didn't want to bother them about it.

Contrary to what most people thought, Draco had a fairly close relationship to his parents. Unlike most Pureblood fathers, especially the Death Eaters, Lucius almost never physically hurt Draco. He did sometimes make Draco feel like he had to fight for his father's approval. Having a Muggle-born beat him in almost every class ashamed Draco to no end during his first few years of school. His father always told him how inferior Muggles were to wizards and that Muggle-borns were almost as inferior, "they just got lucky" he would always say. Draco remembered complaining to his father about Hermione for the first time, when he went home for the Christmas holiday during his first year at Hogwarts.

"_Tell me son, how are you faring in your classes? I trust you are earning top marks? I expect no less from the next Malfoy heir," said Lucius, when Draco complained about the amount of homework he was receiving from his teachers._

"_I would be if it weren't for that bushy haired Hermione Granger," grumbled Draco. "She's such a know it all! Always hopping around class with her arm raised, answering every bloody question the teacher asks."_

"_I don't care for your language, Draco. Malfoys do not speak like commoners. I don't want to hear that filth coming from your mouth," Lucius admonished. "Granger? Merlin, could she be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger?"_

_Draco snorted. "No. Hermione Granger couldn't possibly be related to anyone you know Father. She's a Muggle-born."_

"_Am I to understand that you are allowing a Muggle-born outsmart you in your lessons, Draco? My father would be rolling in his grave if he knew," said Lucius. He looked disappointedly at Draco and continued his work._

_Draco flushed with anger and embarrassment. He vowed to himself that he wouldn't allow Hermione Granger beat him in school anymore._

Bringing himself to the present, Draco looked at Hermione as she tried to find a way to answer him.

"That's really weird. I had something very similar to that. Only I-I dreamed of that night we were captured," Hermione said softly.

Draco realized which night she was referring to. The night his aunt tortured her right in front of him. He felt a pang of guilt as he pondered what to say to her.

"I never- I don't know if you could ever believe me but I never wanted anything to happen to you, any of you. All the times I teased and taunted you and Potter and Weasley, I just did it because I wanted to weaken you emotionally. I know that's horrible of me but I never wanted any of you to get hurt or wind up dead. I'd like to think I'm not that cruel. I'll admit, I was tempted to turn you in when Bellatrix asked to confirm your identity but I just, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Then once the curse began, I was terrified if she would hurt me too if I tried to stop her, especially since Voldemort was alerted of the situation already. I know it was cowardly of me and I will never forgive myself for it," confessed Draco.

"I never blamed you for that night Draco. None of us did. I was thinking, and I believe that until we finally get past what happened to us during the war, these terrible reminders will stop haunting us in our sleep. I hope I could trust you with this Malfoy, but I was actually thinking of visiting a Mind Healer to discuss these things. I don't know, maybe it'll help?" Hermione left that statement hanging like a question because she wasn't sure what he would think about it.

"I actually went to one, right before the start of term. Mention this to anyone Granger and I swear it'll be the last thing coming out of your mouth," warned Draco. He didn't mean for it to come out so harsh so he smiled awkwardly. He was embarrassed at the fact that he talked to a Mind Healer but since Hermione admitted she wanted to see one he felt he could confide in her.

Hermione laughed lightly. "Don't worry Malfoy, at least I know you won't go around telling everyone that _the_ Hermione Granger is going mental, since I told you I want to see a Healer." She yawned and got up to go to bed. "To be honest, talking to you about this actually helped a little. If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me," she said. She wished Draco a good night and they both went off to bed. Dreaming of a brighter future, they slept without haunting memories of the past plaguing their dreams for the rest of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** All characters and anything familiar from the HP series obviously belong to J.K. Rowling. Only the plot is mine.

**Author's note:** This chapter is very fluffy towards the end. I'm not a big fan of fluff but the story seemed to flow that way so there you go. I'm not sure I like this chapter very much but I hope you enjoy it. I'm open to using reader's suggestions because I'm a little confused on how I want this story to go. I have bits of it planned out but I need some more inspiration. I hope you all enjoy, and again, please read and review! Thanks :-)

**P.S.** Does anyone know how I can make a line between the author's note and the story? Please let me know.

It was the day of the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. It was also the day of Hermione's eighteenth birthday. Hermione awoke on that Saturday morning bright and early. She was going to meet Harry and Ron at noon in front of Honeydukes. After Hermione got out of bed and dressed for the day, she stepped out to into the common room to see Draco coming out of his room as well. Their friendship grew a little closer since the night they shared their memory-dreams to each other.

"Morning, Granger," mumbled Draco sleepily as he walked towards the common room. "Why are you so dressed up?" He noticed she wasn't wearing the regular school robes. Hermione was dressed in pearly grey robes that flattered her figure and her hair seemed a little more tamed than usual.

With the faintest hint of a blush, Hermione looked at herself in the mirror. "What do you mean? I don't look that different," she exclaimed.

"I don't know, your hair doesn't seem as frightening as usual," he replied.

"Whatever Malfoy," Hermione said, with a hint of annoyance. Just then, there was a tapping sound on the window. Hermione walked to the window and let the owl come inside. She recognized the owl as Tawny, the owl she bought for her parents so they could keep in touch while she was at school. Grinning, Hermione untied the envelope from the owl and opened the birthday card from her parents. It was a normal birthday card from a Muggle shop. When opened, the Happy Birthday jingle sounded from the card as Hermione read the note from her parents.

_To our darling Hermione,_

_We know you came of age last year in the magical world, but we've been dreading and anticipating your eighteenth birthday since the moment we knew you were coming into our lives. The day our daughter becomes an adult is both exciting and terrifying for us both. We've watched you grow from an infant to the wondrously brave and remarkable woman you have become today. We knew from the beginning that our little Hermione was destined for great things. _

_From the moment you received your acceptance letter to Hogwarts, you finally found a world you belonged in. You embarked on your journey to the magical world with such optimism and as your parents, knowing that you and your friends shouldered the burden of the fate of the magical world by yourselves, exposed to the horrors of the Dark side, we were helpless because we couldn't help you in any way. Yet, you managed to survive and shape your world to a better place. You are a selfless and courageous young woman and we cannot be anymore proud of you. Please don't forget how wonderful you are as you continue your journey through life, despite what hardships may come your way._

_Have a wonderful birthday Hermione. We pray that you have many years of all the love and happiness ahead of you, as you deserve all the happiness in the world._

_We love you always,_

_Hugh and Jane Granger_

Hermione brushed away the tears in her eyes as she finished reading the birthday card from her parents. She felt guilty everyday for obliviating her parentsduring the war but it was the only way to protect them. Enclosed in the envelope were a few hundred notes of Muggle money for her birthday present. When she was younger, Hermione was promised a car for her eighteenth birthday but since she discovered she was a witch, a car was hardly necessary as she had her Apparating license.

"Happy birthday Granger, I didn't realize it was your birthday, other wise I would've gotten you something…" said Draco, trailing off a little awkwardly.

"No worries, Malfoy," said Hermione, laughing softly.

"What do you have planned for today," he asked.

"I'm actually meeting Harry and Ron today, I haven't seen them in a month. You're welcome to join us Malfoy, if you want." Hermione offered, but knew what his answer would be.

"Thanks Granger but no thanks. I don't think I could stand Saint Potter and his sidekick, Weasley for the whole day," said Draco.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione left the common room and went out to the Great Hall for breakfast. She sat down with Neville and Ginny at the Gryffindor table and they discussed their plans for the day.

"Happy birthday Hermione! I wasn't sure what to get you so me and Luna decided to split the cost and give you this," said Ginny, while getting up to hug Hermione. Luna came over from the Ravenclaw table and wished her a happy birthday as well.

"We hope you enjoy your present, Hermione." Luna handed Hermione an envelope and they each gave her a birthday card. Opening the envelope, Hermione found a note with what seemed to be a certificate of some sorts. She opened the note and it read:

_Happy birthday Hermione!_

_Luna and I thought you might enjoy a day of pampering and grooming; it's the best treatment a girl can get. We hope you enjoy your gift and get pampered and relax, because you of all people deserve it._

_Love,_

_Ginny and Luna_

Hermione smiled at her two friends. She reached over to hug the two and thanked them for the gift. Inside the envelope was a certificate to a full spa day complete with a one-hour full body massage, full use of the steam room, and her choice of a mud or mineral bath. This could be what she needed. Hermione has been getting aches throughout her body as a result of the Cruciatus curse she received the previous year. She intended to see a Healer at St. Mungo's about it but she didn't have much time over the summer.

"So Gin, did Harry tell you he's coming to visit us at Hogsmeade today?" asked Hermione.

A fleeting look of anxiousness passed through Ginny's face but it was so quick Hermione thought she might have imagined it. Ginny's face broke out into a smile and she nodded happily.

"Yeah, he told me they would get here at about noon today. I reckon we should get going then," said Ginny. She turned to look at Luna and Neville, "why don't you two join us today? It could be like a reunion for all of us," she offered.

Blushing lightly, Luna declined. "Thank you Ginny, but Neville asked me to join him today for lunch at the Three Broomsticks."

Ginny and Hermione looked at Neville who smiled bashfully. "Yeah, maybe we'll meet you guys later?" he asked.

"Sounds good," replied Hermione and they all got up to walk towards the line queuing up to get through Filch's inspection.

As they stepped out of the castle and onto the path towards the village, Hermione saw Draco walking with Goyle. They seemed to be getting along well now since the first day of term. Hermione remembered asking Draco about his friendship with Goyle, the previous day.

_They were sitting in the common room, in front of the fire as had become their habit lately. Draco turned to Hermione and asked her a question that he had been wondering since their first year._

"_You put yourself in danger for Potter all these years and you still stuck with him until the end. Why did you risk your life to help him? I heard even Weasley gave up the dangers of the Horcrux hunt to save his own arse."_

"_Who else would've helped Harry through all the trouble he got into over the years?" she joked. She looked at Draco and realized he was serious about the question. "Harry and Ron are my two best friends. Ever since they saved me from that troll in first year, we have had each other's backs since then. I didn't follow Ron when he left because I knew Harry needed my help and I couldn't very well leave him in the middle of nowhere by himself. Ron didn't leave because he was afraid of the dangers of living on the run; he left because he was… afraid of the unknown. He thought Harry had a plan but all we had was the cryptic clues Dumbledore left us. The symbol of the Deathly Hallows and the sword were not much to rely upon. The frustration of not having any leads, or accomplishing anything for awhile, got to him," she replied._

"_So you stuck around because of your loyalty to Potter? I guess I could understand that," said Draco._

"_What do you mean? If Crabbe or Goyle needed you in a situation like that, wouldn't you be there for them too?" asked Hermione._

"_That's the difference between the two of us Granger. Your friendship with Potter and Weasley is stronger than my friendship with Goyle or Crabbe could ever be. Even though we have known each other since we were born, we'd probably be figuring out ways to save our own skin should a situation like that happen. You saw how Crabbe was at the Room of Hidden Things; he wanted to take down Potter because he believed the Dark Lo- Voldemort, would value him over anyone else. He cast the Fiendfyre in hopes of catching you three, without thinking about its consequences. I never had a chance to thank you for trying to save our lives," said Draco. He looked Hermione as what he said sank in her mind._

"_It was actually Harry's idea. We couldn't leave you there in the fire, helpless. I guess you could say it's a Gryffindor thing," she said, smiling. "You shouldn't shut yourself out from Goyle, Malfoy. He only has you now that Crabbe is gone. I haven't seen him interact with anyone else in Slytherin, since most of them in our year didn't come back to Hogwarts. Maybe you two could help each other get past what happened last year."_

"_Yeah, I suppose so," said Draco thoughtfully._

"Hermione, Ginny! Over here."

Hermione looked up to see Harry and Ron standing right outside Honeydukes, waving excitedly at them. Grinning, she hugged the two of them as they reached each other. Ginny embraced Ron quickly, then turned to Harry. They stood, looking at each other for a second, and then Ginny pulled Harry in for a strong hug.

"Ginny and I are going to take a walk for a bit, we'll meet you at the Three Broomsticks in, say, an hour's time?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, that's fine," replied Ron. He turned to Hermione and grinned boyishly. He reached over and hugged Hermione a second time. "I've missed you so much," he whispered against her ear.

Blushing, Hermione returned his embrace and they walked through the village. They reached Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Entering the shop, they found a table and sat down. Hermione looked around the shop and noticed several people staring at them.

She hoped the public's interest in the Golden Trio would die down but that seemed unlikely, as they had saved the wizarding world.

"How have you been Ron? How's Auror training?" asked Hermione. She looked at Ron and noticed he wasn't as lanky as he used to be. She supposed Auror training helped tone his body nicely.

"It's great, Hermione. Kingsley told us we only have to get through the first year of training then we can start working as field Aurors. Most wizards have to train for three years but because of who we are, we don't have to finish the program," he said excitedly. "You wouldn't believe the things we can get away with because of our status as Aurors."

"Ronald, I hope you're not abusing your authority as an Auror. Being an Auror is a serious job. It's not easy enforcing the law and fighting criminals, as I'm sure you remember?" scolded Hermione. She was hoping Ron wouldn't take the job lightly but he seemed to be taken by the glitz and glamour of the job.

Before Ron could answer, Madam Puddifoot came by to take their orders.

"Hello Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger, what can I get you for today?" she asked.

"Hello, I would like the peppermint flavored white chocolate please," said Hermione.

"And I'll have a plain coffee, thanks," said Ron.

Madam Puddifoot took their orders and after about a minute, she came back with their drinks. After she left, Hermione and Ron continued their conversation.

"Don't worry Hermione, I would never abuse my power," said Ron, smiling. "So tell me, how are things up at Hogwarts? I heard from Ginny that Malfoy made Head Boy this year, how is that even possible? Especially after he almost killed Dumbledore and let the Death Eaters in during sixth year," said Ron in a disgusted voice.

Sighing, Hermione knew this would come sooner or later. She vowed to find a way for the two boys to come to an understanding one day. Now that she was friends with Draco, she didn't like Ron talking about him in that way, just like she didn't like Draco making fun or Ron.

"He's actually not that bad this year. And you know as well as I do, Ron, that he was forced to do those things by Voldemort. He and his family would've been killed if he disobeyed Voldemort," said Hermione exasperatingly.

"Since when did you and Malfoy become buddies?" asked Ron, surprised. He didn't expect her to defend Malfoy.

"Malfoy actually apologized for everything and asked for a truce and I've accepted. I think it's time we moved past childish rivalries and make an example for the magical world, so people could see that blood doesn't have to come in the way of friendships," explained Hermione.

"You're too forgiving Hermione, what if it's a trap? What if he is trying to get you to trust him and is planning something. I don't want to happen to you, Hermione," he said, worriedly.

"I wondered that too, but I think I could trust him. Don't worry Ron, I could take care of myself," said Hermione, touched.

Ron took her hand and looked at her in an uncharacteristically serious way. He licked his lips nervously and smiled timidly at Hermione.

"Hermione, I know I haven't always been very, erm, clear about my feelings towards you but I think you know how I feel about you. I love you, Hermione, and not only as my best friend and I'm ready to start a relationship with you, that is, if you want…" he trailed off.

"I love you too, Ron. Yes, I- I'd like that," said Hermione, blushing.

Grinning, Ron leaned over the table and kissed Hermione on the lips. She kissed him back shyly then opened her mouth to deepen the kiss.

They broke apart, blushing, as the patrons in the shop began clapping. She didn't notice the tall, platinum blond haired young man who stopped as he saw her through the window as he passed by the little teashop.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ginny strolled through the village of Hogsmeade, enjoying each other's company. Harry stopped at a bench, sat down, and motioned for Ginny to join him. Ginny sat down on the bench beside Harry and turned to face him.

"Ginny, I know we haven't been able to spend much time together since the war, and I'm sorry but you know I've been busy with training and all," said Harry.

"I know Harry, I understand." Said Ginny softly.

"Gin," he began, "not being able to be with you, not knowing if you were safe, it-it drove me mad. I never want to be away from you again, and I don't know if you've met anyone else, but I-"

Ginny leaned over and kissed him. Harry stilled for a second, surprised, then kissed her back.

Ginny pulled away and looked fiercely at him.

"Harry Potter, I've loved you since the first time I saw you at King's Cross when I was ten years old. There has never been anyone else, except you in my heart but you spent your life fighting Voldemort. How could you know it's me that you want? I think maybe you should see what else is there before you decide you want to be with me," said Ginny softly. She wanted to be with Harry more than anything but she was afraid he would change his mind in the future, for someone else.

"Don't be ridiculous Ginny. I want you and only you, love," said Harry. He stood up and pulled her into a hug and whispered, "I love you Gin," in her ear.

The new couple held hands and walked towards the Three Broomsticks to meet up with their friends.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** All characters and anything familiar from the HP series obviously belong to J.K. Rowling. Only the plot is mine.

**Author's Note:** This chapter has a lot of dialogue, but you get to see more of Draco. Please Read and Review! I know people are reading this story but it wouldn't hurt to drop a review, I just wanna know what you guys think of my story so far… Thanks for reading!

* * *

><p>Hermione and Ron walked inside the Three Broomsticks to meet up with the others. They barely had a chance to sit down when a group of girls stopped by their table asking for autographs.<p>

A little annoyed, Hermione signed a few notebooks, but she really wanted to spend some time with Ron. Hogsmeade trips only happened once a month and she didn't want to spend her time with him on groupies.

"Mr. Weasley, is it true? Are you two together?" asked a young woman who appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties. She looked disappointed when Ron told her that they became a couple that very day. Hermione was disgusted at the girl for attempting to flirt with Ron right in front of her.

"We're having a party tonight and would very much like for you to join us," said the girl to Ron, barely giving Hermione any attention.

"Unfortunately, Ron is very busy with his training. We'd appreciate our privacy, if you don't mind," snapped Hermione at the girl.

The girl wrote down the address of the party and handed the note to Ron.

"In case you change your mind," she smiled at him and walked away with her friends.

"Honestly," said Hermione, rolling her eyes.

"What," asked Ron. "Don't tell me your jealous." He smiled teasingly at Hermione.

She scoffed at him. "I'm not jealous, Ron. I wish they would just leave us alone," she replied.

Just then, Harry and Ginny arrived and sat themselves down at the table, facing Ron and Hermione.

"Did you see those bints who just walked past? One of those girls just threw herself all over Harry," exclaimed Ginny, angrily. "I almost shot a Bat-Bogey Hex at her but Harry wouldn't let me."

Hermione laughed and told Ginny what happened.

"It's amazing how desperate some girls can be," said Ginny.

Trying to lighten the mood, Harry changed the subject.

"So guess what, Ron and I are going to be roommates," exclaimed Harry. "So maybe, during your Christmas holiday we can all take a trip somewhere after we visit the Weasleys," suggested Harry.

"That sounds like a good idea, maybe we could do it during the last week of break. I promised my parents I'd visit them right when break starts," said Hermione. Neville and Luna soon joined them and pretty soon, the group chattered happily amongst themselves, making plans for the upcoming future.

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><p>Draco and Blaise were seated across the room from Hermione and her friends, in a far corner as Draco felt uncomfortable being there after what he did to Madam Rosmerta during his sixth year. Blaise was telling Draco about his plans to join the magical law-training program at the Ministry.<p>

"I figured I'd try to redeem my reputation by working in magical law. You know, working in crimes against hate and prejudice, that sort of thing," explained Blaise.

"More like, you've gotten bored with Pureblood witches so you're looking for a variety of witches to shag," said Draco, cocking an eyebrow.

"Touché, "said Blaise, laughing. "You know me, I like a challenge. But seriously, law seems interesting. I think I could do it."

"Yeah, you're penchant for arguing people to death could work in your favor as a lawyer," said Draco as he tried to catch a glimpse of Hermione. He noticed that she seemed happier and she had a faint blush on her cheeks as she talked animatedly with her friends. He didn't fail to see Weasley putting his arm around her.

Blaise rolled his eyes and followed Draco's gaze.

"Speaking of Muggle-borns, I assume you're shacking up with Granger now," said Blaise.

"What, no we're not" exclaimed Draco, caught off guard.

"As in you are both living together since you're Head Boy and she's obviously Head Girl," said Blaise. He smirked, knowing he got to Draco. "Tell me, how's she doing these days? Is she with the Weasel now or is she single?"

"She's not single," said Draco, annoyed. "She's obviously with Weasley." He nudged his chin in their direction.

"Damn, that's too bad," said Blaise. He was trying to get a reaction out of Draco.

"Why? You fancy her now?" asked Draco. Blaise never showed in interest in Granger before, and it irked him that he was interested in her.

"She's not bad looking, but I wonder if she's as uptight in bed," said Blaise, winking.

"Sod off, Blaise. She isn't your type," said Draco. He couldn't understand why it bothered him so much but he didn't want Blaise using Hermione in that way.

Blaise started laughing, and Draco scowled at him.

"And she's yours?" asked Blaise, raising an eyebrow at him.

"No, I just meant that she deserves better," said Draco quietly.

"Wow, mate, I've never seen you this hung up on a girl before," said Blaise, surprised. "Please, it's written all over your face," he added when he saw Draco's shocked expression.

Draco's face returned to its mask of indifference. He shrugged his shoulders, put some galleons on the table, and stood up to leave.

"What, don't tell me you're mad now," said Blaise, standing up as well. "I think you should go for it, mate. Don't waste your time waiting around for her to realize that it would never work out with Weasley."

"And it would work with me? I was a Death Eater, there's no way she would ever-" Draco stopped speaking as he saw Blaise smirk at him.

"So you admit that you fancy her?" teased Blaise, "I just wanted to make sure that's all."

Draco rolled his eyes and they walked out of the Three Broomsticks together.

"What makes you think she won't accept your past? If you two are still living in the same quarters, she obviously doesn't have a problem with you being a reformed Death Eater," said Blaise.

"Just leave it, Blaise. I don't want to talk about this anymore," said Draco, irritated.

"Whatever, Draco. You can't spend the rest of your life punishing yourself for something you had no choice over. You're not like the rest of them, he threatened your family," said Blaise, he couldn't believe Draco was still beating himself up over what happened.

"I said drop it. Look, I have to get back to the school. Loads of homework to do," said Draco, as he walked off towards the castle.

Shaking his head, Blaise walked away and Apparated home.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** All characters and anything familiar from the HP series obviously belong to J.K. Rowling. Only the plot is mine.

**Author's note:** Review, review, review! :-)

* * *

><p>The sky was getting darker and the Three Broomsticks was slowly emptying out. Hermione stood up and started saying her good byes, as it was time to head back to the castle. The group left the pub and walked back towards the castle together. Once they reached the entrance, Harry hugged Hermione, Neville, and Luna good-bye and kissed Ginny good-bye. Ron said his good byes to the others and pulled Hermione off to the side to speak with her in private.<p>

"Close your eyes, Hermione. I want to show you something," said Ron timidly.

Hermione closed her eyes and felt Ron put something around her neck. He fumbled with the clasp for a second but then he told her to open her eyes again. Hermione looked down and saw a silver chain around her neck with a small square shaped locket hanging off it. She opened the locket and found a picture of her and Ron inside.

"Happy birthday, Hermione," he said.

Hermione blushed and kissed him. She didn't expect him to get her something this thoughtful for her birthday.

"Thank you, Ron!" she exclaimed. Ron reached over and gave her a hug good night, then turned around and left the castle grounds with Harry.

Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna walked towards the castle together and wished each other good night as they reached the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw common rooms. Hermione reached her portrait and climbed into the Heads' common room. She saw Draco sitting on the sofa in front of the fire.

"Hello, Malfoy. What did you do today," she asked him.

Draco looked up when he heard her voice and shrugged.

"Nothing, just met up with Blaise," he said.

"Oh okay, how is he now," she asked, trying to make small talk. Hermione noticed Draco was quieter than usual tonight.

"He's fine," Draco answered. He looked up as she neared him and noticed the locket around her neck. "Is that from Weasley?"

"Yes, he…he asked me to become a couple today," she told him. It was odd telling Draco about her personal life.

"And I take it you've accepted," asked Draco, already knowing the answer.

"Yes," said Hermione softly.

"He doesn't deserve you," said Draco. He stood up and smiled at her half-heartedly. "Happy birthday again, Granger. Good night."

Stunned, Hermione stared after him as he walked into his room. She knew Draco and Ron hated each other but his comment surprised her. It was an interesting birthday to say the least.

Over the next few days, Hermione noticed Draco was slowly going back to how he was during the first few weeks of school. He was quiet and moody, and snapped at her when she tried talking to him. He always apologized after but it didn't take away the sting of his words.

One night, Hermione climbed through the portrait hole to see Draco talking to Blaise in the common room. This was the first time since term started that they brought guests into the common room. She nodded hello to the boys then walked towards her room.

"Hey, Granger. How've you been?" Blaise asked loudly.

Taken aback, Hermione turned to face him and noticed Draco rolling his eyes at Blaise.

"I'm fine, thank you. And you," she asked politely.

"I'm great, actually. Listen, I need your help. You've heard of the Motely case, right?" asked Blaise.

She nodded, wondering how she could help. The Catherine Motely case was currently big news in the wizarding world. The wizarding world never had any laws protecting those of Muggle descent against hate and prejudice until Hermione helped Kingsley write a law making it a hate crime to prejudice against Muggle-borns, half bloods, and half breeds. Catherine Gulch Motely was a half blood from London who was suing Pansy Parkinson for writing "blood traitor and Mudblood" over her front door after they got into an argument in Diagon Alley.

Pansy Parkinson worked at the _Daily Prophet_ as the editor of the wedding and obituary announcements. Since Catherine Motely was the daughter of Zamira Gulch, the acclaimed author of _Practical Household Magic _and a former advice columnist for the _Daily Prophet_, who married a Muggle. For Catherine's wedding announcement, Pansy described her as the daughter of a "Muggle loving woman who should take her own advice in cleaning to purify her blood line." Pansy was suspended without pay for two months but Catherine Motely was angry enough to confront her outside of Madam Malkin's shop in Diagon Alley. They got into an argument before security had to break them apart. Two days after the incident, Catherine came home to find "blood traitor" written across her front door in red paint and her windows broken.

"Okay," continued Blaise. "So Pansy 's lawyer found a loophole to getting her unsuspended."

"What, how?" she asked, incredulously.

"He's arguing that she shouldn't be suspended from work because there is no censorship in the newspapers so she can write whatever she wants. He's also arguing that there's no physical proof that it was Pansy who vandalized her home. It's looking bad for us and good for Pansy." Said Blaise, shaking his head.

"What do you mean for us? You're part of Catherine's team?" asked Hermione, surprised.

"Yes Granger, didn't' Draco tell you? I'm training with the Ministry to work as a lawyer specializing in working against hate crimes," said Blaise.

"No, Malfoy hasn't said anything to me about that, or about anything lately," said Hermione looking at Draco. "Why are you defending the law I helped to write, Zabini? I didn't think you cared about the welfare of 'filthy Muggles'," asked Hermione suspiciously.

"Come on Granger, the war is over. People are slowly changing. And, as you recall, my family and I were neutral during the war. Besides, Pansy lost my friendship when she wrote that little piece about my mother so I have no qualms in taking her down," said Blaise bitterly. He raised an eyebrow at Draco, wondering why he's ignoring Hermione.

"Okay. So what do you need my help in, Zabini?" she asked.

"How can we prove it was Pansy?" asked Blaise.

"You know how Pansy is like, Blaise. Get her some drinks and she won't stop talking. You know how she likes to brag. You'll get a confession out of her easily," said Draco, speaking for the first time since Hermione arrived.

Hermione and Blaise looked up at Draco. Blaise nodded his head slowly, thinking about the plan.

"I think that could work. Draco, you should be the one to do it. She knows I'm still mad about her article and she's still in love with you, she'll tell you anything," said Blaise, smirking.

They continued to work on the case until Blaise announced it was getting late and he had a training class in the morning. Draco walked him to the door and when the door closed, he started towards his room.

"Malfoy, wait. What's going on?" Hermione asked.

"What do you mean," he drawled, knowing exactly what she meant.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Hermione grabbed his arm to stop him from walking away.

"Why are you ignoring me? I thought we were friends," she said.

"I'm not, and we are. I've just been really busy," said Draco, looking down at her hand gripping his arm.

Blushing, Hermione let go of his arm and walked towards the kitchenette they shared.

"Whatever you say, Malfoy. Just let me know when you're ready to be friends again," she said, while making herself a cup of hot chocolate.

"You've been having those dreams again?" asked Draco.

"What," asked Hermione, looking up at him.

"I noticed that you drink hot chocolate when you can't sleep or when you've been having those 'memory-dreams'," he said.

Hermione was surprised that he would notice something like that. She has been revisiting the Manor in her dreams again and she never realized that hot chocolate was what she made to comfort herself.

"Yes, I've been having them this whole week. I tried talking to Ron about it but he doesn't understand," she said.

"Of course he wouldn't, Weasley's brain is about the size of his family's Gringotts account," scoffed Draco, feeling guilty that he shut her out when she needed someone to talk to.

"I swear, Malfoy, if you continue to insult Ron or any one of my friends then I don't think I can continue being your friend," said Hermione, angrily. "You haven't heard me say anything negative about your friends have you? I even helped Blaise without any judgment."

"Relax, Granger. Old feelings die hard, I guess," he said. He didn't want to lose her friendship.

"Well get over it," she snapped. Hermione left the common room and went to her bedroom.

Inside her room, Hermione changed and got into bed. She hated that Draco wouldn't accept her new relationship. She wanted to somehow get Draco and Ron to settle their differences and at least come to terms with one another. Hermione remembered what Draco said to her when she told him about her relationship. _'You deserve better,' _what the hell did that mean? These thoughts plagued Hermione's mind until she fell into a fitful sleep.

_Hermione was writhing on the ground in pain. She let out a blood-curling scream as another curse was thrown at her. _

"_Tell me! Tell me, you filthy Mudblood and don't lie to me! Where did you get this sword?" Shrieked Bellatrix as she continuously hit Hermione with the Cruciatus curse. _

"_We-we-just- we just found it, I swear," screamed Hermione, gasping in pain._

"_CRUCIO," shouted Bellatrix._

Hermione screamed and sat upright in her bed. She panted as she took in her surroundings and screwed her eyes shut. _She's dead, she's dead, she's dead_, Hermione chanted in her mind.

Just then her door opened and Draco stormed in with a look of concern on his face.

"What happened, is everything okay?" he asked, anxiously. Draco looked around and saw Hermione open her eyes, with her arms crossed across her chest.

"I'm fine, sorry. I- I just dreamed of her again," said Hermione in a shaky voice.

Relieved, Draco sat down on her bed tentatively, and awkwardly put his hand on her shoulder. When she didn't protest, he squeezed her shoulder softly and held her close.

"Don't worry, Granger. Nothing's going to happen to you," he said softly. Hermione nodded and slowly laid herself back into her bed.

"Thanks for checking up on me, Malfoy. I'm sorry that I woke you up," mumbled Hermione as she made herself comfortable in her bed.

"Don't worry about it, Granger. Are you going to be okay," he asked.

"Yeah I'm fine, Draco," she said, right before she fell asleep.

Draco closed her door softly and went back to his room. His thoughts before falling asleep was how strangely nice his name sounded on her lips.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** All characters and anything familiar from the HP series obviously belong to J.K. Rowling. Only the plot is mine.

**Author's note: **I know this story is coming along slowly but I don't want our favorite couple rushing into their feelings and relationship. Sorry for the late update, I had some major writer's block. I hope you guys like this chapter. Review, review, review! :-)

* * *

><p>September flew by and it was finally the day of Halloween. Hermione woke up to the smell of pumpkins baking. It was a Saturday, and having already done her homework, Hermione had the whole day to herself. Stepping out into the common room, Hermione sat by a table and took out two spare parchments and her quill to write a letter to both Ron and Harry. She missed Ron terribly, he and Harry have been very busy with their Auror work and she has only seen him twice since her birthday.<p>

Just then, Draco sauntered into the common room and perched himself on the couch. He looked over at Hermione, who was focused intently on writing her letters; she didn't notice him coming in.

"Hey, Granger, what are you up to today?" asked Draco. Hermione's head shot up and she looked around to see him staring at her with an amused smile on his face. They grew a little closer since the night when he comforted Hermione after her dream. Hermione found that she could tell him about her dreams and he understood how she felt because he was going through the same. They stayed up most nights talking about their plans for the future and about what haunted their dreams during the night.

"Nothing, I finished all my work so I'm free for the whole day," replied Hermione. She finished writing her letters, rolled them up, took out her wand to seal them, and set them aside to take them to the Owlery later that day.

"That's a first," he teased. Draco pulled out his books and started working on his homework, next to Hermione on the couch. Hermione looked at Draco, and wanted to ask him something she has been wondering about for awhile.

"Hey, Malfoy?" she began, tentatively. He looked up at her and waited for her to continue. "I've been wondering…how come you came back to Hogwarts? You stayed for more than half of last year, so why are you repeating seventh year all over again?"

Draco was a little surprised by her question and thought about how to answer. He spent the whole summer debating whether or not he should come back, when Professor McGonagall sent him and the others who went to Hogwarts during the war, a letter asking if they wanted to repeat the year to get a complete education.

"I don't know, I mean, when McGonagall wrote to me during the summer about finishing my studies, I realized I could get the education I missed last year. The Carrows were hardly teaching us anything worth remembering, so I thought about finishing the right way, I guess. Before my dad left, he told me he wanted me to finish my studies," he finally said. "Being Head Boy was also a plus," he said smiling.

This was the first time Draco mentioned his father so Hermione wasn't sure what to say.

"Oh okay, sorry for asking such a personal question, but I was curious," said Hermione.

"Granger, you're always curious," he said, smirking.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione sat and watched him do his work. She looked around the common room and her eyes fell on the rolled up scrolls she wrote for Harry and Ron. Hermione stood up to get the letters and send them off. Draco noticed her getting up and watched her grab the scrolls on the writing table.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"Oh, I'm just going to send off these letters to Harry and Ron," she replied. Hermione left the portrait hole and walked towards the Owlery. As she walked along the corridors, she saw the preparations for the Halloween feast. There were pumpkins and Jack O'Lanterns throughout the castle. Hermione passed by her classmates and smiled at everyone she knew. She past by the gargoyle entrance to the Head Mistress's office and as she walked by, she heard two very familiar voices talking behind her.

"I reckon we should wait until the feast to surprise her, don't you think?"

Hermione turned around and saw Harry and Ron talking to each other in the corner, by the entrance to Professor McGonagall's office, apparently they haven't noticed her yet.

"Harry! Ron!" shrieked Hermione. She ran towards them and hugged the two startled Aurors. Hermione let go of them and stepped back to take a look at her two favorite boys. They looked the same except they both looked leaner and more fit than usual. Harry was grinning at her with his glasses sitting lopsided on his nose and Ron's freckles crinkled as he smiled back at her. He leaned forward and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked them, happily.

"We got the day off for Halloween so we wanted to come up here and surprise you, Hermione. We just got back from talking to McGonagall and she let us stay for the whole day," answered Harry. He looked down at her hand and saw the scrolls. "Don't tell me you're doing homework on Halloween, Hermione," said Harry, exasperated.

Hermione followed his gaze and saw the forgotten letters in her hand. She shook her head, smiling.

"No, Harry. These were letters to you two; I was on my way to the Owlery to send them off for you both," she answered.

"Can we go up to your common room? I've always wondered what the Heads' dorm would look like. Bill and Charlie always talked about how nice it is and… " Ron trailed off, as if he was remembering something. "Wait isn't Malfoy Head Boy? How has that been for you, Hermione? I swear, if he did anything to you-"

"Calm down, Ron. He's actually been the total opposite of what he used to be. He even called for a truce with me and Neville also," said Hermione.

"Still, he's a Slytherin and an ex- Death Eater," said Ron.

"He changed, Ron. You'll see," replied Hermione.

They started walking towards the Heads' common room. As they were walking, many of the younger students gaped at the 'Golden Trio,' it was the first time they were seen together at Hogwarts since their sixth year. Harry smiled awkwardly at them; he was still a little uncomfortable with all the attention but Ron seemed to be basking in the attention. A group of giggling girls came up to the Trio and asked for autographs but mainly from Ron and Harry.

"Is it true you three rode a dragon after you broke into Gringotts last year?" asked a fourth year Ravenclaw girl with long blonde hair.

"Erm, yeah we did," said Harry.

"Ooh, what was that like?" asked the girl.

"It was wicked, once the dragon realized it was carrying humans on its back, it started blowing fire towards us. We had to jump off in a lake to survive," said Ron, dramatically.

Rolling their eyes, Harry and Hermione waited for the awestruck girls to go away and they started towards the Heads' common room again.

"Honestly, Ron, 'blowing fire'? I don't really remember that happening. Do you, Hermione?" asked Harry, grinning.

"No, I don't," said Hermione, laughing.

"Shut up you two," muttered Ron, his face turning slightly red. "Gotta make it a little more exciting, give the people what they want to hear."

"Yes, but you don't have to lie or exaggerate the truth, Ron. The experience itself was rather exciting, wasn't it?" said Hermione. They reached the portrait for the Heads' common room.

"Beedle," said Hermione. The portrait door swung open and the trio climbed through the portrait hole and walked into the common room.

"You never know unless you try, mate. Did you ever think that maybe if you told her-"

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you to drop it, Blaise. I don't-"

Draco was talking to Blaise in the fireplace and abruptly stopped talking when he heard them come in. He stood up, and turned to face them.

"Hey Granger. Potter, Weasley," he nodded curtly to them and Harry nodded back to him, while Ron glared at him. Draco sat back on the couch facing the fireplace. Blaise was watching them the whole time.

"Hey Potter, Weasley. I didn't know you two were going to Hogwarts today," said Blaise.

"Hello, Zabini. Yeah, Ron and I got the day off and we decided to come visit Hermione today and see the castle again. I would've asked you to come along but I figured you would be busy with the case and all," said Harry.

Hermione was surprised that the boys and Blaise were on friendly terms. Then she saw Ron roll his eyes and she nudged him. Blaise saw this and chuckled.

"It's okay, Hermione. I know your little boyfriend doesn't like me. Anyways, I've got some work to do in the office, but I'll try to stop by later for the feast. Bye Draco, bye everyone," said Blaise. He pulled his head out of the fire and ended the Floo call.

"Harry, I didn't know you and Blaise were friends," said Hermione.

"Yeah, we see each other a lot at the Ministry now that he works for the Law program. Ron and I were the Aurors at the scene when Motely's house was vandalized and Blaise asked me to put him on the case, so I did," said Harry.

Hermione smiled at Harry. He matured a lot since the war; the House prejudices were no longer a factor when it came to making new friends, except for Ron.

"Okay guys, I'll see you at the feast. Ginny doesn't know I'm here yet so I'm going to go and surprise her," said Harry, excitedly.

He left the common room and for a long, awkward moment, no one spoke, then Draco summoned his broom from his bedroom.

"Don't you have some place to be ferret?" asked Ron, rudely.

Draco raised his eyebrows at him, amused.

"Ron, don't be rude," said Hermione, angrily. "Malfoy, don't listen to him. I don't mind if you stay."

"Don't worry, Granger. Weasley is just mad because he only sees you about once every month while you're near me every night," said Draco, smirking. Before either of them could respond, he picked up his broom and walked out the common room, noticing Ron's angry, red face.

Once they were alone, Hermione sat down on the couch and glared at Ron.

"When are you going to grow up, Ron?" she asked him. "Malfoy hasn't said a rude word towards you this whole time and you just had to go and ruin it."

"Who cares, Hermione? Malfoy was a prat and he always will be. Why are you even defending him after what he just said about you," asked Ron, settling himself next to Hermione on the couch.

"He didn't say anything degrading towards me, Ron. If anything, his remark was to get a reaction out of you, which it did. I know you don't like him and I don't expect you to, but please at least be civil towards him, even Harry is nice to him," said Hermione.

"Fine, whatever, Hermione. You know, I didn't think our time alone would be spent talking about Malfoy," said Ron, bitterly.

Hermione smiled at him and scooted closer to him.

"Yeah, I know. I really missed you Ron," she said to him.

Ron smiled and leaned forward to kiss her, all hateful feelings towards Malfoy forgotten.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **All characters and anything familiar from the HP series obviously belong to J.K. Rowling. Only the plot is mine.

**Author's note: **Sorry for the wait, I know it took me awhile to get this out but it didn't seem right as I was finishing up the chapter. It still doesn't seem right, I'm a little nervous about this chapter and I think it needs a lot of improvement but I want to know what you guys think, since my beta went MIA =/ (I know school gets hectic I'm not blaming anyone, lol).

This chapter is on the short side, but again, I hope you guys like it : )

Please read and review! I hope you guys like it so far.

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><p>Meanwhile, on the Quidditch pitch, Draco Malfoy was flying around the stadium on his broomstick. He meant to go practice for the upcoming match against Gryffindor but his mind was reeling over his encounter with Ronald Weasley.<p>

_Who does Weasley think he is? Granger must have been on something to willingly be in a relationship with him. I wouldn't be surprised if that oaf fed her some type of love potion. Yeah, that's probably it, there's no other way a girl like Granger would date a wanker like Weasley unless Amortentia was involved._

These thoughts plagued his mind as he flew around the pitch as the sky was darkening. He flew faster and did a few loops in the air to let out his feelings. After a few more circles around the pitch, he noticed someone walking towards the stadium. Draco started to slowly descend on his broom to see who was approaching him.

"Oi, Draco. Get your head out of the clouds," said the person, Draco could hear him chuckling at his cheesy joke.

Draco stopped squinting in the darkness and rolled his eyes as he saw who was approaching him. Of course, Blaise was the only person who knew that Draco went to the Quidditch pitch to blow off some steam whenever he was upset- no frustrated, was the better term. After Draco landed gently on the grass, he turned to greet his friend.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going to be at the office," he asked Blaise, as he set his broom over his shoulder. They started towards the castle together to join the rest of the school for the Halloween feast.

"I got off early, I already finished the routine paperwork they gave me for the case. There really isn't much for us to do until you get a confession out of Pansy," replied Blaise, looking pointedly at Draco.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I wrote to Pansy inviting her for some drinks on the next Hogsmeade trip, and she accepted," said Draco.

"Perfect, give me the time and the place, and I'll be there in disguise to hear what she says," said Blaise. He looked at Draco, who nodded in agreement and he sighed when he saw that Draco's jaw was still clenched. "How was it with the wonder duo back in town?"

Draco rolled his eyes. They reached the entrance to the Great Hall and walked inside the castle. Draco shivered slightly as he stepped inside the hall. He didn't realize how cold it was outside until he felt the warmth of the castle as he stepped inside.

"Nothing new, Weasley is PMSing as always. He's like a fucking overgrown child; Granger is an idiot for putting up with him," he replied.

Blaise chuckled at his friend's little outburst.

"Calm down, mate. You can't compare yourself to someone like Weasley… I keep telling you, if you play your cards right, you could have Granger in the palm of your hands," said Blaise, winking.

"Shut up, Blaise. I don't want her-" retorted Draco.

"Come on, Draco. It's all over your face. Forget Weasley, it seems like you're the one PMSing with that attitude. You need to get laid, mate," said Blaise, grinning.

Draco rolled his eyes as he walked towards the Slytherin table. As he passed by the Gryffindor table, he saw Hermione sit down at the table with Ron while holding his hand.

"You know what, Blaise, maybe you're right. After I talk to Pansy, let's go out in Hogsmeade," said Draco.

Blaise followed Draco's gaze and sighed.

"Okay then," he said while running a hand through his dark hair. "I'll round up the guys and it'll be like the old days."

They sat down at the Slytherin table and Blaise reunited himself with his former classmates. He started a conversation with Gregory Goyle, who talked a lot more since the beginning of term. Just then, the food appeared on the tables and everyone began eating. As Draco ate, he noticed Astoria Greengrass stealing quick glances at him throughout dinner. Astoria, like her sister, Daphne, had the regal beauty and grace as a woman from an aristocratic society. The Greengrass sisters were considered a "catch" in pureblood societies because of their pedigree and high social standing.

Lucius always told Draco he'd wish for him to marry Pansy once they were both ready but since her alleged involvement in the very public scandal with Catherine Motely, Lucius reduced his friendship with the Parkinsons to a mere acquaintance before going to Azkaban. Draco thought this was a bit hypocritical of his father since he disgraced the family name by getting themselves involved in the Dark Arts and getting locked up for it.

Draco was interrupted from his thoughts when Astoria got up from her seat and sat down directly in front of Draco. He looked up as she sat down and raised a quizzical eyebrow at her.

"What do you want, Greengrass?" he asked her, not in the mood for her games.

Astoria Greengrass was quite unlike her sister in many ways. Daphne was quieter and outwardly seemed innocent but Draco knew how manipulating she was when she wanted something done. She was just more discreet about it.

Astoria on the other hand, used the teenage male hormones to her advantage when she wanted something, or someone. Draco got along with her quite well but knew her well enough to keep his distance.

"I need your help, _Draco_," she replied, emphasizing on the use of his first name.

"I'm not getting involved in whatever scheme you have planned, Astoria," he said to her, and then went back to eating his dinner, pointedly ignoring her.

"You don't even know what I'm asking you for," she said, scowling at him. "This will benefit you too, you know." She winked at him.

"Somehow I doubt that, go bother someone else," he snapped.

"I'm serious, Draco. You've been brooding a lot lately, you need to find yourself a girlfriend and I'm telling you-"

"Astoria!" barked Draco. "Leave me alone."

Astoria gasped in a mocking way.

"Don't tell me the 'oh so great' Draco Malfoy is having problems with the ladies," she said, while raising a perfectly arched eyebrow. "That's exactly why I need you to help me." Astoria smoothed her long, dark hair and flipped it over her shoulder.

"What," he asked, annoyed. "I'm not having any problems and if I were, how does that have anything to do with you?"

Astoria smirked, knowing he was curious enough to hear her out. She leaned towards him and put her mouth near his ear.

"Meet me outside after dinner, at the entrance to the Great Hall," she whispered in his ear. Astoria stood up, and walked away.

Draco raised his eyebrows as he watched her strut her way out of the Great Hall. He caught Blaise's eye and the other boy shrugged with an amused look on his face. Blaise winked at Draco and motioned for him to go after her.

After a moment's hesitation, Draco stood up and walked towards the entrance to the grounds. He knew better to get involved in whatever Astoria was planning but he needed something to get his mind off of a certain bushy haired Gryffindor.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: <strong>I hate to beg, but your reviews would make up for the horrible week I've been having.

Thanks for reading!


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